


Sweet Tooth

by wow30



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Flirting, Bad Jokes, Dentist AU, Dentistry, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Jaal is nervous and Scott is gay, M/M, Somewhat in-depth dentistry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-11-19 05:48:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11306982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wow30/pseuds/wow30
Summary: After an unfortunate accident, Jaal's teeth are broken, and Sara Ryder takes him to the best dentist she knows to get them fixed. He just so happens to be extremely attractive as well. And also her brother.A.K.A. The dentist au no one asked for.





	1. Dental Bonding

**Author's Note:**

> I went to the dentist a few days ago and this idea hit me like a truck. I hope you all like learning about dental procedures, because I spent hours reading about them and needed to include them somehow.
> 
> This is quite possibly the weirdest idea I've ever actually decided to write.

When Jaal had joined the human pathfinder, he figured he would likely end up in med bay at some point. He did not expect to end up there on his first day.

“What exactly happened Jaal?” Lexi questioned, pulling out her data pad, “As far as I know you never left the tempest.”

“I didn't,” Jaal affirmed, rolling his shoulders slightly as he sat on one of the beds.

“Then why are you here?”

“I fell.”

Lexi set her data pad on the table, glancing at the ceiling for a few seconds before staring back at Jaal. “So that crash from before?”

“That was me, yes.”

“Is there a problem with the ground up there? Does angaran footwear not work well with our floors?”

“No, it is nothing like that,” Jaal reassured Lexi, offering a small smile. “I merely slipped on some of my nutrient paste and hit my jaw.”

Lexi laughed for a few seconds before noticing Jaal’s curious expression. “Oh, you’re serious?”

“Yes, what would be the purpose of lying?”

“I don’t know I just… let me look at your mouth.”

\-----------------

“How bad is it?” Sara asked, pulling Lexi out of the med bay.

“Three of his bottom teeth have cracked and one has a piece broken off of it.”

“Well shit, can you fix it?”

“I studied alien organs and reproduction Sara, not their teeth. If he had problem’s mating, however-”

“Alright, alright, I don’t want to learn about alien sex today Lexi. Besides, I know just the person to help with this.” Sara turned away quickly, climbing up the nearest ladder to reach the bridge. “SAM, let everyone know that we’ll be heading to the Nexus soon.”

\-----------------

Jaal is surprised, to say the least, when he sees the Nexus for the first time. After hearing about the struggles everyone had faced when they arrived, he had expected the Nexus to be in a similar state to Havarl or Voeld. He did not expect it to be so… clean, or beautiful, or bright. For a few seconds, he honestly couldn’t even think of something to complain about.

Until he heard everyone talking.

Jaal couldn’t imagine what everyone on the Nexus needed to fight about. Wasn’t it more important to focus their anger against the Kett?

Sara tore him away from his thoughts when she grabs his arm, pulling him away from the rest of the crew. “C’mon Jaal,” She smiled, beginning to run, “Let’s go fix that smile of yours.”

\----------------

Jaal folded his arm on his lap and did his best to not squirm in his seat. The waiting room was just as bright and sleek as the rest of the Nexus, but the people inside were a little different. Everyone seemed… sad to be there. As if they’re health wasn’t as important as everyone told them it was. There was even a krogan who was crying, which was something only a select few ever lived to see. Sara tore him away from his thoughts again, setting the data pad she was reading down on her lap before speaking.

“Jaal? They’re reading for you,” Sara whispered, “You better not keep the doctor waiting.”

“Are you not coming with me?”

“Aw, is little Jaal afraid of the dentist?”

Dentist? “No, of course not.” Jaal lied, going through a door that was being held open for him, wondering what exactly a dentist was.

The room on the other side seemed a little unnerving, despite the multiple posters of various species smiling on the wall. The large chair in the center was what made him uncomfortable, mostly because it was attached to a tray covered with scalpels and other sharp tools. Despite this, he still took a seat, assuming that since it was the only thing of importance in the room, it was probably where he was supposed to be.

After about thirty seconds of waiting, another door in the corner of the room opened. The man who walked out was the most beautiful human Jaal had ever seen. His combed brown hair and messy stubble perfectly shaped his face, and he smiled to himself as his clear blue eyes looked down at the data pad in his hand.

“Jaal Ama Darav, 27 years old, angaran, and working with the human pathfinder,” the man muttered to himself, looking over at Jaal, “well Jaal, it seems you're the first celebrity I get to work on.”

“I'm not sure if I would call myself a celebrity.”

“The first angaran then. Either way, what we're doing won't change.”

“Of course, Doctor…”

“Ryder. Dr. Scott Ryder.”

“Ryder? You mean you're-”

“The pathfinder’s brother, yes. And you better make sure you're nice to Sara, otherwise I'll give you braces.”

Jaal sat quietly.

“That was a joke,” Scott clarified, clearing his throat.

“I am aware.”

“Right. Well, anyway, what seems to be the problem?”

“There is an issue with my teeth.”

“Well I figured that much. It doesn't matter though, I’ll just get a closer look.”

Jaal nodded and tried to sit himself up, but Scott’s hand gently pushed him back down, his other thumb slowly moving across Jaal’s jawline. Scott leaned his face in close, his glove covered thumb slowly reaching Jaal’s bottom lip. Jaal gulped, his eyes staring into Scott’s as he slowly pulled against his bottom lip and-

quickly pushed his jaw down, giving Scott a perfect view of Jaal’s broken teeth.

“Well there’s your problem,” Scott laughed, pulling up his mask to cover his smirk, “Your teeth are cracked. Oh well, we’ll just need to do some bonding.”

“B-bonding?” Jaal croaked, was this human asking him out?

“Yeah, but don’t worry, it’s not going to hurt.”

“May I a-ask a question?”

“Sure.”

“What exactly is, uh, bonding?”

“That’s when we fill in the broken gaps in your teeth, why, don’t you have angaran dentists?”

“No actually,” Jaal sighed in relief, feeling less nervous, “Usually the doctors are able to help us with any problems.”

“So will they be able to give me your full medical history?”

“No.”

“Figures. Let's get started then, shall we?” Scott smiled beneath his mask, adjusting his gloves before grabbing various bottles and putty from a cabinet nearby. “Don’t worry, this shouldn’t hurt, but if it does make sure you tell me. I don’t want to ruin your mouth.” Scott began applying conditioning liquid to Jaal’s damaged teeth, placing putty over them once he was done. “Are you and my sister getting along well?” Scott asked, using ultraviolet light to harden the putty as quickly as possible.

“Iy belaefve suo.” (I believe so.) Jaal gurgled, doing his best to form understandable words.

“That’s good, make sure you don’t get to close though. While we’re on the topic, are you seeing anyone?”

Jaal choked on his own saliva before finally regaining control over himself. “Wughat!?” (What!?)

“I’m just curious, sitting here and staring at you mouth in silence isn’t exactly fun you know.” Scott shrugged, sculpting the now solid putty so it looked like the rest of Jaal’s teeth. “So, are you seeing anyone?”

“Naugh, kaught fur a lang toume.” (No, not for a long time.)

“Yeah, me neither. I just haven't met many nice, alien guys yet. But who knows? Maybe I’ll end up dating an angaran.”

“Maghbue.” (Maybe.)

\-----------------

“Well, that it. You’re done.” Scott beamed, pulling off his mask and throwing away his gloves. “I will need to see you in a week, though.”

“Why is that?” Jaal asked, standing up from the chair.

“One of the cracks on your teeth goes past your gum, so we’ll have to replace that one completely. I’d do it now, but I have other patients and I’m booked for the next few days.”

“Alright then, I suppose I’ll see you soon then,” Jaal smiled, outstretching his arm, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Ryder.”

“You too Jaal,” Scott chuckled, going in for the human handshake before being corrected, “Here, I’ll give you my email incase something happens or you need to reschedule.”

“Of course.”

\-----------------

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[8:46]** Hello, Dr. Ryder.

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[8:46]** Just Scott is fine

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[8:47]** Alright then, Scott, something strange is happening with my teeth.

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[8:48]** What is it? Are you having a chemical reaction to the putty or liquid?

 **[8:48]** Did I singlehandedly ruin the relations between our species???

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[8:49]** No, don’t worry, I just can not stop smiling after our appointment.

 **[8:52]** Scott?

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[8:53]** Sorry I was busy squealing

 **[8:54]** I’ll see you in a week Jaal

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[8:55]** I can not wait, Scott.


	2. Dental Implant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took awhile but I've been busy at work. I'll upload the next chapter soon!

Jaal could not stop thinking about Scott Ryder.

They had only met once for about 40 minutes, and yet, he couldn’t wait to see him again. Of course, that wouldn’t be for another week, and so Jaal was forced to distract himself with whatever missions the pathfinder went out on. They did manage to save the Moshae as well as thousands of other angara in that very short amount of time, and because of that, Jaal felt as if he and Sara had complete trust in each other.

Until, of course, she cornered him in the tech lab.

“Okay,” she roared, slamming her hands down on the table in front of Jaal, “We need to talk.”

Jaal froze for a few seconds before setting down the rifle he was working on. “Alright,” He nodded, “About what?”

“About Scott.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’ is right. What are you planning?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“What I mean is that my brother already messaged me 30 times this week to see how you’re doing, and frankly, I’m getting sick of it,” Sara snapped, leaning in closer to Jaal’s face, “My brother falls hard and fast, and if you ever,  _ ever _ , hurt him, I swear to god no amount of scan will ever be able to determine what your body used to be.”

Jaal nodded quickly, trying to back away.

“Great!” Sara smiled, standing up straight, “Good talk! I’ll see you later Jaal.”

Sara exited the room quickly, and Jaal collapsed onto his mattress on the floor. He did  _ not _ want to get on the pathfinder’s bad side.

\----------------- 

“I had an… interesting talk with your sister the the other day,” Jaal began, taking a seat in the dental patient chair, “She seems to be rather protective of you.”

“Just ignore her,” Scott chuckled, adjusting his gloves as he lowered Jaal’s chair down, “I’ll always be her little brother, and she’ll always be my big strong solider sis. She’ll warm to you after a few weeks and then you’ll be fine.”

“She also said you were asking about me.”

Scott swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Is that a problem?”

“No. It’s just interesting to me.”

“Okay then,” Scott sighed, “I’m going to ask you a few questions about your dental hygiene, alright?”

“Of course.”

“Great! How often do you floss?”

Jaal sat still for a moment, “Floss?” He questioned, “I must admit I’m… not quite sure what that means.”

Scott frowned, pulling out a plastic bag full of what seemed to be tiny boxes of string. “I can already tell _this_ is going to go well."  

\----------------- 

After a surprisingly long amount of time flossing, Jaal’s last cracked tooth being pulled, and a brand new silver one being put in its place, Jaal was finally able to lie back and focus on anything other than the excruciating pain in his mouth.

“Well, it seems like you’re all done Jaal.” Scott smiled, throwing his gloves into a nearby bin. “You’re free to go.”

“Thank you, Scott,” Jaal groaned, his jaw hurting every time he opened his mouth, “My teeth and I appreciate it.”

Scott nodded and leaned back for a second, looking Jaal up and down. “You know Jaal, you have a great smile. I mean, it could do with a little less plac and it would be nice if you knew what flossing was, but other than that, it’s great.”

“Well, thank you Scott, I greatly-”

“Do you want to be a model?”

Jaal stayed silent.

“I mean, I have pictures of every other species smiling in here, and, you know, it would be nice to have an angaran one for when more start staying here.”

Jaal smirked, looking down at Scott, “Is this just so you can see me again?”

“Maybe?”

“Then yes.”

 \-----------------

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[14:14]** I assume that since we are going through with this I am required to have a ‘sparkling smile’ correct?

**[14:15]** What is the most efficient way to achieve that?

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[14:16]** I’ll have my sister pick up a some of the highest quality toothpaste we have the next time you’re here.

**[14:16]** Hopefully that will do the trick

**[14:17]** It’s sad though

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[14:17]** What is?

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[14:18]** your smile can’t ever outshine your eyes

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[14:20]** Hmmm...

**[14:21]** It seems you have a ‘sweet tooth’ Scott.

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[14:23]** Jaal

 

**[Jaal Ama Darav]**

**[14:23]** Yes?

 

**[Scott Ryder]**

**[14:24]** I just want you to know that what you just said goes against everything I stand for as a dentist.


	3. Braces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a long time, and I'm sorry! I was working, and then school started, and every bit of free time I had went into writing my book but now this is back and it's time to finish it! I hope you all enjoy.

Jaal was, in all honesty, a bit nervous to be modeling.

  
“Are you ready?” Scott asked, wiping some sweat from his forehead, “We need to start soon so we can out of this hellhole as fast as possible.”

  
Scratch that, he was very nervous. Not only did he have to take a picture good enough to represent his species to a variety of different people with various tooth injuries, but they were also stuck taking the picture in a very hot engine room which, while not bothering him, was making Scott sweat so much he could see through his shirt, which was making the whole experience very distracting.

  
“Yes I… I am ready.” Jaal swallowed, trying to remember if he had flossed for long enough earlier that morning.

  
“Are you sure? I can wait a bit for you to get better if you want?”

“No it’s fine. We should finish this as soon as we can.”

  
“Okay great!” Scott beamed, moving behind his camera, “Say cheese!”

“Cheese?”

And then the flash went off.

\-----------------

“How does it look?” Jaal questioned, trying to look around Scott as he blocked his computer screen.

“You’ll have to wait and see when it’s done like everyone else Jaal.”

“Considering I am the model, I don’t think that is particularly fair.”

“Ugh, fine, but you’ll have to wait till it’s done printing.”

The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, listening to the printer work in the background as fast as it could without making any mistakes. Scott played with his thumbs for a while, until Jaal got tired of waiting and spoke up.

“You know, after reading up a bit on your species, I feel slightly, well, bad for you.”

“Why?”

“Well, it just seems that no one particularly enjoys what you do.”

Scott laughed, his head bumping against the wall behind him for a brief second. “You mean dentistry?” He smiled, rolling his eyes playfully, “‘Cause yeah, of course people don’t like it. Just like how people don’t like popping a bone back into place, but someone’s got to do it.”

“Aren't you worried that this type of annoyance would cause someone with a cracked tooth to actually avoid getting it fixed?”

“No, Jaal. I think you should know first hand just how bad cracked teeth can be. If someone had to deal with that for too long, they’d practically be begging for me to put veneers on them.”

“What’s a veneer?”

“If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to know.”

\-----------------

As it turned out, Jaal’s smile did not need to even be good for the photo, considering Scott just photoshoped perfect teeth on top of his.

“So? Do you like it?” Scott questioned, hanging the frame poster on his wall.”

“It certainly is… interesting.”

“That’s just a friendly way to say it’s weird.”

“No one’s teeth are that perfect Scott.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. My teeth are even better.”

\-----------------

“Jaal, you and I need to talk.” Sara barked, marching into Jaal’s ‘room’ while somehow looking angrier than she did when she shot the Cardinal.

“About?”

“My brother.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah oh. What the fuck are you doing?”

“I haven't done anything since he took my picture for his office.”

“Exactly! You’ve left him hanging for weeks! What, did you decide to just move on and shatter my brother heart once you got to be a stock image model for two seconds!?”

Jaal did not say anything.

“Well!?”

“I’m not very used to human courting methods. From what I’ve seen, most of your kind tend to be more reserved and only flirt openly when the correct moment has to arrive, so I suppose I will just have to wait for that.” Jaal confessed, turning pack towards his table to work on his gun.

“So what? You’re just going to wait for another tooth injury before you speak to him again?”

“I suppose.”

“Well then, I have a perfect solution to that.”

“Really?” Jaal question, turning around just in time for Sara to punch him in the face.

\-----------------

“Well, your teeth look slightly separated.” Scott murmured, pointing his flashlight at Jaal’s front teeth, “What happened? Did an asteroid hit you in the mouth or something?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, it’s nothing you can’t live with, but you’ll need to get braces if you want your teeth to be closer together again.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll get some metal in your mouth pulling your teeth together and will just have to meet with me every once and awhile to tighten them once they're put in, but it won’t hurt too much.”

“Let’s do that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course Scott. I trust you.”

\-----------------

“Did I do something wrong?” Scott asked, placing a large amount of teeth cement and glue on Jaal’s front teeth, “You hardly speak to me anymore.”

“Naugh! Yogh hagnt duhne echnytin wroan!” (No! You haven't done anything wrong!)

“Then what’s been going on? Do you not like me anymore?”

“Ei leke yogh.” (I like you.)

“Just… not like that, right?”

“Scoght, ef ei coughtd, ei wught kess yogh reght nouh et tacke yogh un a thowsghned daghts. Eh’ve jughst bughn wughred phet yogh wught gught scured bughi muhy ephektchun.” (Scott, if I could, I would kiss you right now and take you on a thousand dates. I’ve just been worried that you would get scarred by my affection.)

“Really?”

“Yeughs. Aungeran ohmutiens er verie entughnst, et ei dughdent wught tuh phruk yogh ught.” (Yes. Angaran emotions are very intense, and I didn’t want to freak you out.)

Scott moved away abruptly and backed up abit, only stopping when Jaal was about to close his mouth.

“Don’t do that or we’ll have to start over.”

“Er yogh okegh?” (Are you okay?)

“Yeah I just… need this to sink in for a minute.”

\-----------------

“Just make sure you avoid any solid foods for two to three weeks and brush after you eat, preferably with ‘Dentifrice: Minty Fresh.’ That’s the one I use.”

“When will I get to see you again?”

“You’re supposed to come back in after about two months, but I probably won’t be here to tighten them for you.”

“You’re… leaving?”

“To Aya. Turns out there’s a lot I can teach the angara about dental hygiene.”

“What about the people here?”

“I’m not the only dentist that came to Andromeda Jaal, they’ll just wake someone else up. You and everyone else’s teeth will be in good hands.”

“That’s… that’s good to hear.”

Jaal looked down at his hands for awhile and tried his best to stay calm as Scott stared at him.

“Say, do you know any good spots on Aya where I could, you know, take in the scenery every once and awhile? Maybe relax for the first time since I got here?”

Jaal smiled, “There is this beautiful lake I’ll have to show you one of these days, perhaps when your sister decides to let us all take a break from fighting the kett?”

Scott stood on his toes and kissed Jaal, tastes of mint lingering on his lips. “It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first date of a thousand Jaal, don't forget you promised him that. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Leave me a comment if you enjoyed, I eat that stuff up.


End file.
